The Indiana House voted 49-44 in favor of House Bill 1133, meaning supporters failed to get the Constitutional majority they needed in the 100-member chamber. Five lawmakers had excused absences and two did not vote, including Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis.

Rep. Matt Lehman, R-Berne, filed the legislation that would have prevented local communities from banning residents from renting rooms in their homes.

Lawmakers can use procedural moves to consider the bill again if they believe they have enough votes to approve it, though it's uncertain whether that will happen. Lehman, though, is an influential member of the Republican caucus, who ushered through similar legislation in 2015 for personal car rental services such as Uber and Lyft.

Republicans have a super majority in the House but were not united behind Lehman's legislation. Rep. Jerry Torr, R-Carmel, who voted against the bill, had unsuccessfully tried to amend it in several ways that would have given local governments more control.

There are no provisions to allow short-term rentals in areas zoned for single-family homes within the city. People who live in apartments can continue to rent space on Airbnb and other sites, Carmel officials said, because their zoning regulations are different.

Mayor Jim Brainard said he has received complaints from residents, homeowners associations and area hotels about problems caused by short-term rentals. Residents, he said, are worried their property values and quality of life will be damaged by problems such as noise, speeding and increased traffic caused by a high turnover of people who don't care about the community. Hotels, he said, face stricter zoning regulations than homeowners and are worried they are losing business in an unlevel playing field.

There's little evidence Hamilton County hotels have been affected by short-term rentals. Whitney Riggs, spokeswoman for Visit Hamilton County, said hotels generated $4 million in local lodging taxes in 2016, and that's projected to increase to $4.5 million this year, mostly from revenue created by the opening of new hotels. She said a side-by-side analysis using Airbnb data showed no appreciable effect on local hotel occupancy.

Homeowners active on Airbnb have been opposing Carmel's decision. They say their guests have been good customers and renting rooms is a good way to make money.

Groups such as the Indiana Restaurant & Lodging Association and the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, now called Accelerate Indiana Municipalities, have opposed the bill.

Patrick Tamm of the Indiana Restaurant & Lodging Association said his association opposed the bill for a number of reasons, including supporting local control over zoning decisions and the creation of an uneven playing field. He pointed out Airbnb is larger than most major hotel brands and should be recognized as a business, taxed and regulated properly.